Northern BC has been my
home for about 15 years, living first in Burns Lake, and then in Prince
George since 1996. I completed my forestry degree here at UNBC in 2001,
and have held a variety of positions and contracts related to natural
resource management. My first experience with Tl'azt'enne began with
a research project in 2003 on Criteria and Indicators of Forest Co-management.

I started with CURA in April
2004 as a research coordinator, beginning my graduate studies a few
months later. In sharing these two positions, I have learned so much
from Tl'azt'enne. I am grateful for the time and effort they have offered,
and their dedication for making sure I get things right!

My thesis involves developing
a method for involving First Nations in forest management decision-making.
It focuses on the 'monitoring & evaluation' stage of forest management
planning, where we can reflect on the progress made so far. Through
a process which involved working with local people to generate information,
we were able to create a list of "measures of success", which
can be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses in co-management.
This assessment can be used not only to inform management decisions,
but to facilitate communication and demonstrate accountability. From
the community perspective, many people would prefer to use this system
for improving co-management and celebrating its successes, rather than
being critical of the partnership.

I have had the opportunity
to give some presentations on this research at conferences, in the community,
and to UNBC classes. Posters I have presented are available on the IP
Stream page. I have also written articles for the CURA
Newsletters (under my maiden name, Sarah Parsons) and hope to publish
academic articles in the months ahead.

I am begining a new position
(November 2006) where I hope to be able to apply some of these ideas
in cases beyond the John Prince Research Forest. Thanks again to the
whole CURA team and my participants who have been instrumental in my
research and my learning experience.